Valens and Voldemort
by i.love.gred.and.forge.forever
Summary: "He told me I was born with a purpose. He told me that protecting him meant everything. He told me he was going fix this world. When he told me my identity, my life changed." The story of Zofia Valens, follower of Lord Voldemort. *NOT Voldy/OC!*
1. Borgin and Burkes

A/N: Okay, so this story wasn't originally mine, just so you know. A friend gave it to me to continue for them. It shouldn't be a problem since I knew exactly where she planned to go with the story and we have very similar writing styles. So the first 4 chapters is what she wrote but after that it's all going to be me. And so it begins...

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><p><em><strong>Thanks for checking out my story! I hope you like it! :)<strong>_

_**WARNING: Contains spoilers for book 6 and 7. If you haven't read the books, or at least watched the movie, you probably shouldn't read this until you have.**_

_**Disclaimer: Obviously, I don't own Harry Potter but it would be cool if I did! I only own Zofia.**_

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><p><strong>Chapter 1 - Borgin and Burkes<strong>

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><p><em>6 years ago<em>

_Down a narrow street was a plain, square, two story orphanage where a small eleven year old girl paced up and down the sidewalk, kicking small stones. Her straight black hair reached her lower back and her skin was like porcelain. Dark, almost black, eyes looked up and down the street. With a sigh, she sat down on the short rock wall in front of the dingy old building. She hated it here and she wanted nothing more than to leave it. She couldn't do anything she wanted and none of the other kids liked her._

_The girl was lost in thought when movement caught her eye. She looked up and saw an owl swoop down out of the sky. It flew over her and she raised her arms protectively but it did not attack as she thought it was going to. Instead, it had dropped a think envelope onto her lap. She picked it up. It was addressed to her and came from a place called Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Turning it over, she began to rip it open but she did not get a chance to read it._

_The envelope flew out of her hand. She watched it fly down the street and land in the hands of man. He was wearing a turban and long flowing robes. It was odd. She had never seen anyone dressed like that before. The man pocketed her letter and walked over to her._

_"Zofia?" He asked, stopping in front of her. He looked down at her, analyzing her._

_"Yes," she replied quietly. Who was this man? What did he want? And why had he taken her letter?_

_"I've been looking for you," said a cold voice. It hadn't come from the man. His mouth hadn't moved. Leaning to her left, Zofia looked behind the man but no one stood there. She was positive that the voice had come from behind him._

_"Wh-who are y-you?" Zofia asked, trying to hide the fear in her voice. She was still looking around for the source of the voice._

_"My name is Lord Voldemort," the cold, invisible voice answered._

_"Wh-what do you want?"_

_"I have come to help you, Zofia," Lord Voldemort answered. "I have come to take you away from this place. I need you. You were born to make a difference. You are to play a very important role in this world but you cannot do it if you do not come with me."_

_"Why... would I go with you?" Zofia asked._

_"Because, Zofia, you are a blood relative to me," Lord Voldemort said in his whispery voice. Zofia gasped a bit. She had never known any of her family. As far as she knew they were dead or they had abandoned her._

_"What kind of relative?" She asked, her interest rising._

_"My half-niece," Lord Voldemort replied. Zofia opened her mouth to reply but was interrupted._

_"Zofia?" Someone said. Zofia turned her gaze to the front door of the orphanage. Ms. Kauffer, the matron of the orphanage, was standing there, eyes darting worriedly between Zofia and the man._

_The man reached quickly into his pocket, pulled out a long stick, and pointed it at Ms. Kauffer. Her worried expression disappeared and she turned and walked inside, looking dazed. Zofia watched, wide-eyed._

_"What did you do?" She asked._

_"Magic," Lord Voldemort answered. "You can learn it as well, Zofia, if you come with me. You are powerful and you can help make a great change in the wizarding world. You can learn everything, including the history of your family, if you come with me."_

_Zofia bit her lip, her mind wandered to the letter in the man's pocket. "Are you from that place?" She asked, gesturing to his pocket. "Hogwarts?"_

_A cruel, cold laugh escaped Lord Voldemort. "No. I have been there but I no longer affiliate myself with such filth," he said. "And neither should you. You are much too good for those people. Do you wish to learn magic? Or do you want to stay here?"_

_Glancing back at the orphanage, Zofia continued to bite her lip. She did hate it here. She wished she could go elsewhere. And magic...magic sounded intriguing. Something she had always wished was real and now it was being held before her. This was an oppurtunity she was not going to miss. Not to mention, she had a chance to be with the last remaining family she had. She nodded and hopped off the rock wall._

_"I want to learn," she said. "I'll come with you."_

_"Good," Lord Voldemort said, sounding pleased. Zofia turned to the orphanage to get her stuff but Lord Voldemort stopped her, as if he knew what she was thinking. "You don't need anything from in there. Come with me and start a new life." He turned and began walking down the street, Zofia hurrying along behind him._

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><p>My eyes flew open and I looked up and down the dark dirty street I was standing in. <em>Damn, must have drifted off. <em>I thought to myself. It wasn't surprising really. I was bored out of my mind, standing guard outside of Borgin and Burkes. I had been tasked with watching after the new kid. New Death Eater, that is. That pale-faced, white-haired boy, Draco Malfoy. I, of course, knew how important it was for him to be here. It was his job. Him being here meant we were getting closer to the day we would get into Hogwarts.

_Hogwarts,_ I thought with malice. Voldemort had told me of the the flithy place, he told me how horrible it was there and that we were meant to cleanse it. It was my destiny. Psh, destiny. And I suppose it was also my destiny to watch after some bloody git who acted as though he was better than me? Besides, if Hogwarts was so terrible, why did we have someone like Draco Malfoy with us? He went to Hogwarts. _I guess it's fortunate that we have him though. Or we couldn't get in._

Ugh, honestly, I just wanted out of there. Creepy witches and wizards kept approaching me, trying to get me to buy their weird 'merchandise' (junk is what I would call it) and I continuously turned them down. One time, I'd gotten so fed up (and bored) that I decided to scare one of the witches by acting like a lunatic and uttering nosense words, making her think I was cursing her. It had entertained me but only for a short while. I was bored again soon afterward.

Glancing inside the store I saw Malfoy but something else caught my eye. Something moving on the roof. I wasn't the only one. That one guy, (Garrick? Garbrook? Gernbeck?) whatever his name was, stopped and looked up too. That was my queue. If someone was watching what was going on inside Borgin and Burkes I had to eliminate them. I whipped around and took off down the street, slipping into a narrow space between the store and another building and expertly climbed up to the top, whipping my wand out. When I got up there though there was not a thing in sight. I hopped down and returned to the entrance. That guy (Greyback! That was his name!) was standing there, looking around. He spotted me as I walked over to him.

"It was nothing," I assured him. "Probably just a cat or something." I tucked my wand away and raised my eyebrows at him. "Is Malfoy done yet?" I asked impatiently, lowering my voice so only he would hear.

He just growled and glared at me and then turned and walked away.

"I'll take that as a 'yes!'" I called after him, then muttered to myself, "Bloody hell, what did I do to deserve getting stuck with this guy?" Shaking my head, I paced back and forth until (finally!) Malfoy came out of the store. He just glanced at me and the looked up and down the street. I noticed for the first time that he was actually kind of cute. Hey, I may have called him pale but who was I to talk? I had to be one of the palest people I knew. I looked up at him (he was a good few inches taller than me) and studied him. I'd never really paid attention to him before.

"I'm going back to Diagon Alley," he said. "Fenrir, go back to the others, you," he looked down at me, "give it a minute then follow after me." He grimaced at the thought of having to have a constant bodyguard. He probably didn't notice but I grimaced at the thought too. Stupid kid. Yes, I was allowed to look at him as a kid. He was a year younger than me after all. He turned and walked down the street.

I looked at Fenrir Greyback and smirked. "See you around, fluffy," I said, and he let out an angry growl. I tsk-tsked while waggling my finger at him. I hated that man and the only reason I could taunt him so much was because he wouldn't dare hurt Lord Voldemort's niece. "Run along," I told him. I waited until he turned and left. No matter what, I was not going to turn my back on that man. No way, now how. not ever. Slowly, I turned and walked down the street.

Diagon Alley was bright and bustling, unlike Knockturn Alley. I had to squint against the light until my eyes got used to it and then began scanning the crowd for a blonde head. I spotted him quickly (not many people are _that_ blonde) and started pushing my way through the crowd. I passed store after store, not taking my eyes off Malfoy. When I saw that he was with his mother again, I nodded to myself. Finally, done with that job. So, the choice was mine, head back to Uncle Voldy (he never knew I called him that, and he never would. I highly doubt he would appreciate it.) or tour Diagon Alley a bit?

Making up my mind, I turned away from Malfoy and headed back down the street, this time I stopped at every store. I didn't buy anything but it was interesting enough just to look. After awhile I began to grow bored and was about to leave when something, more like _someone_, caught my eye. A teenage boy, not much younger than I, was walking down the street with some friends. He had messy dark hair and a lightning bolt scar on his forehead. _Harry Potter._ I'd been told much of him by Lord Voldemort. Absentmindedly, I pulled on my sleeve as if to make sure my Dark Mark wasn't showing.

And speaking of my Dark Mark, it began to burn. I glanced down at my wrist and in that short time I had lost sight of Potter. I shook my head as if to shake away my thoughts and turned around. Time to go back to Voldemort.

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><p>As I walked to find Lord Voldemort my thoughts drifted to the night I saw him regain his power. I hadn't seen everything that had happened that night in the graveyard. I just barely showed up in time to see Potter escape and Lord Voldemort distraught. I had never been sure why Potter was there but I assumed that he was probably attempting to stop Voldemort returning to power. He had been fourteen then, I was fifteen, and I never understood how this Albus Dumbledore man could use a child to stop someone. A <em>child!<em> I heard a lot about Dumbledore convincing this Potter kid that he was meant to destroy the Lord. Psh, like that could ever happen. He was just a boy for goodness sake and Lord Voldemort was much too strong for him.

_Besides, _I thought smugly, _in books and such good always conquers evil._ And Lord Voldemort was just trying to save the wizarding did these people want to stop him? I lost my train of thought when movement caught my eye. I looked at the floor and saw a _very_ large snake slither around me.

"Hullo, Nagini," I said, following the snake down the hall and through a door. "Thanks," I told her. What else was I supposed to say? She led me to Lord Voldemort and just because she was a snake didn't mean I shouldn't say 'thank you.'

"Ah," said my Uncle's voice. "There you are."

I looked up to see my Uncle sitting, fingers tapping the arms of the chair, black cloak flowing around him. I smiled fondly at my only surviving relative. "Hullo, Lord Voldemort." And before he even said it, I knew he would call me by the code name I had been given when joining the Death Eaters.

"Hello," he replied, smiling at me, "Valens."

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><p><em><strong>So, I hope you liked the first chapter of this story. I'm sorry if it was a bit slow and boring but I was just trying to get the basics out there. Like the fact that Zofia is totally in the dark. She doesn't really know what Voldemort is up to. Speaking of Voldy, if he seems too nice in the end of this chapter and the beginning of the next, he's supposed to. He likes to put on the act of 'the caring uncle' when Zofia is around. Oh, and the scene in Borgin and Burkes. I know that's not how it goes in the books but I went with the scene in the movie instead, it just worked better with the story. :) (That might happen in other parts of this story because sometimes I get the books and movies mixed up. But for the most part I try to stick to the books)<strong>_

_**Please review! I love reviews! Constructive criticism is always welcome but please don't put flat out mean, rude reviews. That's just uncalled for. Let me know what you think feel free to throw some ideas out there! I love hearing what the readers want to happen and sometimes I'll put your ideas into my story! And of course, feel free to ask questions too! So, review and please continue to read this story! If it turns out the way I want it's gonna be reeaaally cool! =)**_

_**Hope to see you next chapter and have a good day (or night!) whatever time it is for you right now! :)**_


	2. Memories and Meetings

A/N: Again, I'm continuing this story for a friend. First four chapters are her writing. After that it'll be me :)

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><p><em><strong>Hey! Thanks for coming back to read my story! This is Chapter 2! Yay! :)<strong>_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, just Zofia. (And in this chapter, a character named Blaine)**_

_**In case you're wondering, the flashback at the beginning of this chapter is during Harry's first year at Hogwarts. It would be Zofia's first year as well (She is just a tiny bit older than him so she's usually just turning 12 before him and what not. The timeline in this story can get confusing so I'll try to explain if you're having trouble.) if it weren't for Voldemort.**_

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><p><strong>Chapter 2 - Memories and Meetings<strong>

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><p><em>The black haired girl sat on the floor, twirling a wand in her hand. It had been nearly a year since Lord Voldemort had come and rescued her from the orphanage. He had taught her some basic magic before he left for awhile. She didn't know where he had gone but she did know that he was going to be gone for quite a long time. So, she was left in a tiny house with a spell book, a wand, and anything she needed to survive on her own for awhile.<em>

_"I'm bored," Zofia said. The house she lived in was deep within a forest but she knew that a village was nestled in a little valley nearby. It would be somewhat of a walk but she could get there and make it back with Voldemort finding out. She stood, walked to the door, and slipped out. She immediately wished she had a coat to wear. The house must have had a spell to keep it warm because she never built a fire. Tucking her wand away, she started off in the direction of the village._

_She was nearly to her destination and was standing on a hill, looking down at the bustling little place with so many shops. She took a step down the hill but slipped on the snow. She lost her footing and toppled over, rolling down the hill. "Ugh," she groaned as she wiped the snow off her face. She stood and made her way down the street, passing a building called the Hog's Head and blended into the crowd. Looking ahead, she saw a group of kids, probably a couple years older than her, all crowded around a shop called Honeyduke's. _

_Her curiousity got the best of her and she hurried along the street, only to slip on a patch of ice. She was _not_ having good luck. She tried to stand but slipped again. Cursing, she wrapped her arms around herself._

_"Need help?" Someone asked. A hand appeared in front of her face. She looked up to see two boys standing over her. They were identical, red hair sticking out from beneath their hats and freckles all over their face. She nodded but did not take his hand. "It's alright," the boy said soothingly. "Take it."_

_She watched them cautiously. Who were they? And why were they trying to help her? She had never been offered help with anything. Lord Voldemort had always made her do things on her own. It made her stronger that way._

_"Alright," the boy said, withdrawing his hand but Zofia snatched it as fast as she could. Smiling, the boy hefted her up. "Fred Weasley," he introduced himself._

_"George Weasley," said the other, grinning at her._

_Zofia was about to introduce herself but remembered what her uncle had said. He had told her that if she ever came into contact with other people she must never tell them her name or say anything about him. She just nodded and smiled at them._

_"You look a little young to be on a Hogsmeade trip," Fred said._

_"Don't think I've ever seen her," said George._

_A grin spread across Fred's face. "Ah, you look like a first year," he winked. "Sneaking out, are we?"_

_"Well, if that's the case," George turned towards a store called Zonko's Joke Shop. "I think we'll get along just fine. Just don't get yourself caught."_

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><p>I crossed the street warily, avoiding eye contact with the people walking about. It had been years since the last time I had ventured into first time was when I was eleven, nearly twelve. The second time I was thirteen and the third when I was fourteen. But after that I went to a different house because Lord Voldemort was finally ready to start training me again. We lived in a tall house next to a graveyard for awhile and it was in that graveyard that the Lord regained his power.<p>

I passed Zonko's Joke Shop and grinned as I remembered the twins that I had met so many years before. Wiping the grin off my face, I thought about what I hadn't known at the time. Hogwarts students took trips down to Hogsmeade and those friendly twins I had gotten to be friends with were from Hogwarts. Which meant that they were my enemies. I shook my head, pushing the memory away, and continued down the street. I glanced around and then slipped into the Hog's Head. I was supposed to meet someone, that's what Lord Voldemort said, but I didn't know who. He said that they would know me.

I walked into the builiding and looked around. A young man, probably in his early 20's, was leaning back in his chair in the corner of the room, looking right at me. I figured that he was the person I was meeting. I walked over to him, hesitated, then took a seat across from him.

"You must be Valens," he said. It wasn't a question and I wasn't the least bit surprised that he only knew my code name.

"Yes," I answered. "And you are?"

"Blaine," he answered quietly. He placed his hand on the table and I noticed he had a sheet of parchment underneath it, as well as a Dark Mark on his wrist. I smiled and reached for the parchment, barely revealing my Mark to him, and then slid the parchment into my pocket. "Good," he said. "So I can trust you."

I smiled. "Yes, you can," I stated, leaning closer and hushing my voice. "Do you have it?"

"Of course I do," he said in a tone that mocked hurt. He reached inside his pocket and handed me a small, wrapped package, underneath the table. I took it and nodded.

"Then, we're done here," I told him but he gestured for me to stay.

"Quick question," he said quietly. "Is it true?" I looked at him curiously. "You're _His_ niece?"

I grinned and leaned back in my seat. "_Half_-niece, to be specific. Yes, it's true. Why?"

"Just wanted to know," he replied. "You don't remember me, do you? No matter," he finished as I looked at him, puzzled. He nodded good bye to me as I stood and walked out of the Hog's Head. Remember him? From when? I'd never seen him before in my life, at least not that I could remember, though he did seem familiar.

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><p><em>Zofia looked around the shop. There were odd little items all over the shelves and kids milling about, pointing at things they liked. She had to keep herself from messing with the objects before her, knowing that it would only cause trouble.<em>

_"Hey," Fred called to her. "C'mon, don't get too far behind."_

_Zofia looked around and saw that the twins had indeed gotten a good distance away from her. She caught up with them quickly and watched as they examined some items._

_"How about this, Fred?" George asked his brother._

_"Yeah," Fred replied, grinning. "It'll work perfectly." They grabbed the item off the shelf, took it to the counter to pay, then exited the shop, Zofia trailing behind them._

_"Honeyduke's next?" Fred asked and George nodded. "Sound good, Nameless?"_

_It took Zofia a minute to realize he was talking to her. "N-Nameless?" She asked, looking between the two._

_"She speaks!" George exclaimed and Fred laughed._

_"You haven't told us your name," Fred told her._

_"Oh," was all Zofia managed to squeak out. She bit her lip, trying to think of a name. "Mary," She told them, using the name of a girl who she had hated at the orphanage. It was all she could come up with._

_"Well, Mary-" Fred started._

_"Want to go to Honeyduke's?" George finished._

_Zofia was about to nod when she decided that maybe she should get back to the house. She glanced behind her, in the direction of the forest, then looked at the twins again. She shook her head. "I have to go...somewhere," she told them. "Thank you for...helping me. B-bye." She forced herself to step away. They were the friendliest (though a bit crazy) people she had ever met and she didn't want to leave. She liked being around them._

_"Wait," Fred said as she took another step back. "Can't you hang out with us for a little while longer?"_

_"Yeah," George said. "You're pretty cool, even though you don't talk."_

_Zofia shook her head. "Th-thank you," she said, feeling tears trying to force their way out of her eyes. She wasn't sure whether she was thanking them for helping her or thanking them for talking to her. She turned and ran down the street, knowing she would never see those twin again, and that they would never understand what happened to her or where she went that day. She wiped her tears away angrily and ran _smack_ right into someone else._

_"Whoa!" Someone exclaimed as she fell onto her butt. "You okay there, kid?"_

_She pushed herself off the ground with some help from the stranger and looked at him. He looked to be in his late teens and had brown hair, fair skin, and piercing blue eyes. She nodded to him and then took off again. She ran until she reached the house and collapsed, curling up, trying to warm herself._

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><p>I realized with a shock that I <em>had<em> seen Blaine before. My first time to Hogsmeade. He was the boy I ran into. But how did he remember me just from that? How did he know I was the same girl who had been crying. not watching where she was going, and ran into him? I shook my head. Whatever. So he remembered me, big deal.

As I walked down the streets I noticed people standing on street corners, selling amulets that guarded against the Dark Arts. I rolled my eyes at people's stupidity. They thought that Lord Voldemort was bad. Sure, sometimes he did do things that even I questioned but I knew it was only for the best. He did what he had to. He just wanted to help these people and here they were, trying to protect themselves against him. I felt my anger boil up at the sight of the fools. I bit my lip, trying to distract myself, slipped into aside alley and apparated back home.

After I dropped the package off with Lord Voldemort (I had no idea what it was and probably never would, he was pretty secretive a lot of the time) I sat down in a large, comfy chair and drifted off.

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><p><em>Zofia looked out from behind the tree. The others Death Eaters were gathered nearby. She looked out over the campsite. People were scurrying about, some celebrating the victory of whichever Quiddith team had won, others were looking rather disappointed but still managed to celebrate a bit. When Zofia first heard the plan she didn't understand. She had been afraid to question Voldemort but still, she asked why.<em>

_He had told her that the Death Eaters were to go to the Quidditch World Cup simply as part of the bigger plan. They wouldn't hurt anyone who was on their side but should the evil opposers try to stop them they could do whatever they needed. This was simply to strike fear in the hearts of the evil ones and show them that Lord Voldemort has returned to create a new, better world._

_That was all the explanation Zofia needed. She should never have questioned him. All he ever did was help. And in the long run, he was just trying to make a better place. She felt angry at herself for questioning him. What had he ever done to make her do that? The answer was nothing. He had done nothing to deserve that._

_She wrapped her arms around herself. It was cold in the shadow of the trees. She looked at the ground, doubting herself. What if her uncle was mad that she had questioned him?_

_"Pay attention," said a cold voice that sent a shiver down Zofia's spine. She looked up and though she could not see the face behind the mask, she knew by the voice that it was Lucius Malfoy. "We can't have you drifting off in the middle of the attack now, can we?"_

_She shook her head, unable to make her voice work. She looked around and noticed a few others, Crabbe, Goyle, Macnair, Lestrange, as they waved their wands, making their masks appear. They all grouped together and she did the same, waving her wand to place her mask. They marched down the hill and straight into the camp, not even hesitating. They blasted tents out of the way and sent curses at people who didn't move, all the while chanting._

_The camp soon cleared out and Zofia was left wandering around, checking for anyone who may have been left behind. The other Death Eaters were beginning to leave, slowly. They checked the camp as well before disappearing completely. She couldn't bring herself to leave though. Surely, not all of these people had been evil? But they had destroyed the entire camp anyway. She jumped as she heard a shout in the distance._

_"Morsemordre!" someone said and suddenly the Dark Mark appeared in the sky. She looked across the now barren campsite and saw Crouch, his wand pointed in the sky. He lowered his wand, noticing Zofia but something else caught their attention. Movement. Crouch moved forward quickly as Zofia circled around but someone shouted. People appeared and Zofia twisted around, running in the opposite direction. She was going to get herself caught if she didn't get out of there and she knew Crouch was probably already gone. She got as far away from them as she could and apparated away._

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><p><em><strong>Okay! I know it's going a bit slow but hopefully it will start picking up next chapter (it most likely will!) Zofia's going to go on a bit of an adventure ;) and meet some new people!<strong>_

_**So, keep reading! And review please and thank you!**_

_**Again, feel free to share your ideas (I'll probably put them in my story if you that's what you want) and constructive citicism is welcome! No mean comments though, please.**_

_**Also, sorry if everything isn't completely true to the books. I really do try to make it work with the real story but sometimes things slip my mind. :)**_


	3. Quests and Questions

A/N: Continuing this story for a friend. After chapter 4 I'm going to be writing it.

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><p><em><strong>Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, sadly! :( But I wish I did! Haha I only own Zofia, Blaine, and in this chapter a guy named Acaris. Thank you!<strong>_

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><p><strong>Chapter 3 - Quests and Questions<strong>

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><p>Standing at a dark and dingy street corner was none other than...me. Zofia Valens... Yes, that's right. I had been sent on yet <em>another<em> mission. Quest... Thing. Whatever you want to call it! But this time it wasn't some pointless quest (I preferred that word) like picking up a little package for Lord Voldemort. _This_ time, I was recruiting.

What was I recruiting, you may ask?

Death Eaters of course.

I was recruiting Death Eaters. Lord Voldemort had told me of some promising candidates and he said that my skills, my way with words, would help to convince them that joining us was the best thing for the wizarding world. First up was a man named Acaris Vaulden. I had no idea what to expect from this man.

Was he old?

Young?

Grouchy?

Funny?

I hated not being prepared but I had actually gotten used to the fact that Lord Voldemort never prepared me. It was a learning experience and I knew that. I was learning to handle any situation thrown at me no matter what it may be. Still, I was a bit concerned about trying to convince people to join. After all, a lot of people were believing the stories about us Death Eaters, followers of Voldemort, being evil. But I suppose that was part of the plan. There was always a plan...even I didn't always completely understand it.

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><p><em>Zofia sat in the branch of a tree just outside the house. Yes, the house that was so near Hogsmeade. She hadn't dared to go anywhere near the village ever since meeting the twins for she feared she would see them again. How would she explain what had happened? Why had she run? Where did she go? She could imagine them asking her these questions.<em>

_But inside, the girl wished to see them again. She had had fun when she was with them. Something she did not have a lot of, living in the woods alone._

_She remembered when they were in Zonko's and George had mentioned one of their classes, Divination:_

_"Load of rubbish, if you ask me," Fred had said._

_George laughed. "I'd have to agree, Fred. Seriously though, all she ever does is predict when someone's going to die," he said._

_"Or how miserable your life will be," Fred added._

_"Exactly," George said, grinning. "And she doesn't even have anything to back it up."_

_Zofia looked from one to the other. She tilted her head to the side, slightly confused. So, they had a class where a woman predicted their deaths and miserable lives? It sounded depressing and, er, ridiculous._

_"The other day," Fred said, "we were reading tea leaves. I don't remember what George's said."_

_"But," George continued, "Fred's here said that he was going to die young."_

_"Rubbish," Fred said. "She said that it said that. I couldn't even see any shapes to read in the leaves. Yet she did, sounded like she was just trying to freak us out."_

_George barked out a laugh. "Couldn't agree more," he turned to grin at Zofia. "Seriously, I couldn't see any shapes either. But," he flashed a mischievious grin at Fred, "you never know."_

_"Oh please" Fred scoffed, poking at an odd item on the shelf. He turned to look at George and Zofia and faked a terrified look. "Oh no! Some tea leaves said I was going to die young! How young, though? Oh no! What ever will I do!" He and George both laughed loudly as Fred stopped acting scared._

_Zofia just sat and watched the two of them laugh... She had no idea how to act around these two._

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><p>I sucked in a deep breath and stepped out onto the dark street. I walked along the street, passed dirty houses with dark windows, and didn't stop until I reached a house with a large<em> 4<em> on the door. It looked just like all the others and the number was the only thing that told me I was at the right house. I opened the little gate and walked up the path to the door. It was dark inside, not a light was on. Maybe he wasn't there? Or he could be asleep. I knocked anyway but when I did, the door swung open slowly, revealing a ransacked living room. I stepped inside and looked around.

The couch was torn to bits, stuffing was all over the floor. The hanging light on the ceiling was dangling, barely holding on. Tables and chairs were turned over with broken legs and deep scratches in them.

I walked through a doorway and into the kitchen. The table was literally broken perfectly in half and the chairs looked as if they'd been thrown at the walls. They were lying in pieces on the floor.

_Damn._ I thought to myself. _Someone's already been here. _

Or, somebody was _still_ here.

I whipped around, pulling my wand out, and came face to face with...

"What are _you_ doing here?" I asked, half-shouting. This was exactly what I _didn't_ need. An idiot interfering.

Blaine grinned at me, holding his hands up, showing me he was disarmed. That didn't make me lower my wand though. Something about that guy made me uneasy and _irritated._ I completely, absolutely did _not_ like him, at all.

"What are _you_ doing here, is the real question, I think," he said, stepping around me. I kept my wand on him. "Acaris is a friend of mine. He's not dead though. Thought you should know. The place may be destroyed but Acaris is alive."

"And you know where he is," I said. It wasn't a question in anyway.

"Ah, ah," he said, waggling a finger at me. "I never said that. _You_, miss, came up with that yourself."

Okay, _that's_ what I hated about him. Dodging questions and treating me like a child. "Tell me where he is or I'll hex you into the next century," I warned him. "I will do it, you know."

He just shrugged. "I have _no_ idea where he is," he said, glancing at me. Seeing my angry expression he added, "Honestly. I don't know. I know he's alive because, well, Acaris would never let himself be killed. But I really have no cluse as to where he would have gone."

I lowered my wand slowly. "Why are you here?" I asked him.

"This," he raised a piece of parchment that old and tattered looking with stains that looked suspiciously like blood. I snatched it away from him.

There was a but a single word written on it: _Fireflow_

"Fire flow?" I asked. "What the bloody hell is a _fireflow_?"

"I'm not sure," Blaine said, running a hand through his hair.

"You're friend sounds like a complete nutter," I said, tossing the piece of parchment at him which he caught with ease.

"I know," he said. "But he's not. Acaris is a genius and I know that this," he waved the parchment around, "means something. It's a code of some sort. He knew I would be the only person who knew him well enough to even _think _that this was important. It's got to be telling where he is, I just haven't figured it out."

I scoffed.

"Yet," he added, giving me a 'don't-underestimate-me' look "I'll figure it out. Just you wait."

"Whatever," I said as I turned and walked out of the house. Blaine followed me. "If Acaris isn't here then I guess I'd better move on. Goodbye, Blaine. And good luck finding your crazy friend." I stepped outside, looked around, and apparated. It wasn't until I landed in another street that I noticed Blaine holding onto to my arm. He had apparated with me. _Damn._

"Listen," he started.

"No," I said. "Absolutely not."

"Listen!" He said again, grabbing my shoulders. "We have to find Acaris."

"Then go find him," I told him. "I have business to attend to."

"Ha,' he scoffed, letting go of me and crossing his arms. "Don't you look and sound all important with your '_business._' Just listen for a second okay, Miss Important?"

I clenched my teeth together. Miss Important? Who did he think he was!

"Acaris is who we need. Alright?" He said. "Now, I know it's you 'your' mission to recruit but so far you're doing a terrible job at it. You _cannot_ pass up Acaris. He could make all the difference in the world for the Death Eaters. He's a genius. He know _everything._ He'd be a great asset."

"And how do you plan to find him?" I asked. "You can't even decipher his code."

"I will," Blaine said, with a determined look on his face.

"Fine," I said. "But stay out of my way. I'm going to keep recruiting while you figure out the code. Once you get it, then we go to Acaris."

Blaine grinned. "Alrighty," he said. "Lead the way!"

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><p><em><strong>Alright! Thanks for reading! :) Ooooh , what happened to Acaris? What does the code mean? Where will this lead Blaine and Zofia!<strong>_

_**Anyway, thanks again for reading! Next chapter should be up in a couple days! Review please! I love reviews! I'm thinking the next chapter will have some action in it so... PREPARE! =D See you soon!**_

_**P.S. Sorry this chapter was so short! =(**_


	4. Codes and Combat

A/N: Still my friend's writing in this chapter. But this is the last one. After this, I'm going to be writing the story since she is unable to anymore.

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><p><em><strong>Disclaimer: I don't own anything but my own characters.<strong>_

**Chapter 4 - Codes and Combat**

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><p>"Any idea what it means yet?" I asked Blaine, who was sitting across the table from me. We were in a wizard pub, still attempting to decipher Acaris Vaulden's stupid code. <em>Fireflow<em>. What was a Fireflow? I had no idea but Blaine apparently thought he knew.

"Be patient," Blaine said, scribbling away on a piece of parchment.

"I don't have much patience," I stated. "And right now, it's running _very_ thin."

"My apologies, Miss Boss," he said, still scribbling away.

"Miss Boss?" I asked. He had a new nasty habit of making up nick names for me and they usually started with 'Miss.' It was getting quite annoying. So far he'd called me Miss Important, Miss Uptight, Miss Snappy (because I snapped at him for screwing up my chance to recruit someone) and Miss Boss. This guy... he was getting on my last nerve.

"Would you prefer Miss Bit-"

"Don't. Even. Say. It." I warned, jabbing my finger at him with each word.

"Get a drink," he said shortly. "Stop bothering me."

"_Bothering _you?" I asked, offended. "_I_ am bothering _you_?"

Blaine dropped his quill on the table, placing his hands on either side of the parchment. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "I am _this_ close," he said, holding his thumb and index finger half and inch apart, "to losing it, right now. Are you _trying_ to send me round the twist? Because so far, you're doing one hell of a job."

I clenched my teeth. "You-"

"Get a drink," he repeated, picking up his quill and returning to his work. "Let me do this. I can't if you keep interrupting."

"Fine," I growled. "Hmm, what do I want to drink? Butterbeer? No, something stronger. Ooh, maybe-"

"Quiet!" Blaine exclaimed. He put his index to his lips. "It's quite time right now, Missy." He returned to his work.

I grinned. I had simply been trying to get to him and, what do ya know, it worked!

"Hey," I called to the bartender. "Drink over here! Get that Firewhiskey flowing!"

Blaine slammed his hand on the table.

"What?" I exclaimed, turning to him. "I was just ordering a-" I stopped. He was grinning. His eyes were wide with excitement. "What?"

"Say that again," he said.

"I was just ordering a drink?"

"No!" he said, narrowing his eyes at me. "_Before_ that!"

"Get that Firewhiskey flowing?" I said uncertainly, waiting for him to go nuts again.

"Again," he said, nodding encouragingly.

I sighed. "This is stupi-"

"Say. It!"

"Get the Fire-" I stopped. "Oh..._Oh._"

_Fire_whiskey _flow_ing.

"He's at a pub," Blaine said. "I know it! There's one place me and him would always go. He loved Firewhiskey so me and him called it ' the Fireflow' but only we knew that. I'm a genius!"

"Obviously you're not," I pointed out. "If you were really a genius, you would have remember that a long time ago, idiot!"

"Shuddup," he said with an evil glower. "We haven't gone there in forever. That's why he chose this code. He knew I'd remember eventually but in the immediate time after I found the code I wouldn't know. That way if I got caught at his place, they couldn't interrogate me and get the truth out of me. _Becaaaause_ I wouldn't know anything. So, you see? Acaris is a genius. As am I!"

"Alright, whatever," I said. "Let's just find him..._now!_"

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><p>"This is the place," Blaine said, shifting back and forth on his feet.<p>

My mouth hung open. I was speechless.

_This?_ This was the place?

No, couldn't be. It wasn't possible.

I closed my mouth and then opened it again to speak but I didn't. I closed my mouth again. I looked at Blaine who looked at me with a stupid grin on his face. He shrugged and looked away from me. I turned my gaze back to the building. No, it wasn't even a building. It wasn't...anything! It was nothing but a pile of rubble. Broken windows, bricks, boards, and a door that was flung halfway across the burnt lawn.

"You're joking, right?" I asked hopefully.

"Nope," Blaine said, popping the 'p'. "This...is it."

"For. The. Love. Of. Merlin." I turned to Blaine and smacked the back of his head. "What the hell are we doing here!"

"Looking for Acaris?" He suggested. "C'mon." He walked toward the fallen building and began kicking the debris around.

"What-what are you doing? This is a waste of time!" I said waving my arms around in frustration.

"No. No, it's not," he called back to me. "This place was destroyed because Acaris was here. I know it. And _if_, and that mean he_ did_, escape then he would have left something here for me. He knows I'm looking for him, just like I know he wants me to find him."

I sighed and covered my face with my hands. "This is ridiculous! Blaine," I said. "Please, can we go? There's nothing here but rubble!"

"Shh!" he hissed.

"What? Don't 'shh' me-"

Blaine gestured at me to be quiet and then pointed towards the trees to his right. He raised his hand and gestured for me to get down. And, by Merlin, I did.

Not two seconds after I ducked behind a boulder and Blaine had hidden himself in another part of the forest, two people emerged from the forest, carrying wands.

"Whoa, what happened here?" One of them asked the other.

"You really can't figure it out?" The other asked.

"I can take a guess," said the first one.

"You get three guesses," said the second.

"You really think I'm stupid enough to need three guesses?" The first asked in mock offence. "I'll get it on my first. Death Eaters."

"You only know that because of the Dark Mark up there," said the second. "I know you're too thick to figure it out on your own."

Dark Mark? I looked up and saw, no way, the Dark Mark hanging in the sky. How could I have missed it? I- wait a second- we, the Death Eaters that is, were wanting to recruit Acaris, right? So, why would we be hunting him down and blowing up buildings to kill him?

"Hang on," said the first voice. "What's this? It looks like-"

"_Avada Kedavra!"_

_"Protego!"_

Oh Merlin, that was Blaine who'd cast the Killing Curse. Who blocked it, I don't know. What I did know was I had to make sure Blaine didn't get himself killed. Not like I cared about him but I needed him to find Acaris. Placing my mask over my face, I stood and pointed my wand and one the wizards. _"Expelliarmus!"_ I shouted. It hit one the people and sent his wand flying. Yes, I was trained to use more offensive spells but I didn't like them. Besides, I knew better than Blaine. Disarm and capture. That way you get answers. Kill them and you get nothing but a dead body to dispose of.

I saw Blaine try to disarm the other person. At least he was smart enough to get my plan. It was dark so I couldn't see who the people were but I would soon enough. I circled around the two people just as the first one dove for his wand and Blaine tried but failed to summon it.

_"Stupefy!" _Blaine and I shouted at the same time.

And that's when it happened. The light from the spells lit up the faces of the two people as they deflected them. I froze.

Twins. Red hair. _No._ It couldn't be...

And then my spell bounced back and hit me. Great. I couldn't move.

I heard something explode and then I saw Blaine lean over me, grab me, and apparate away.

We appeared deep inside a forest somewhere. Blaine put up protective spells as I lay there, thinking.

I _had_ been them. It couldn't be anyone else. When was the last time I saw them? Years and years ago. But I still recognized them. They were impossible not to recognize with that red hair.

It was them.

The twins.

My first two friends in my life.

Actually, the only friends I'd ever had.

The Weasley twins.

Fred and George Weasley.

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><p><em><strong>Okay, there you go! The Weasley twins return to my story! There's going to be a lot more of them now! =)<strong>_

_**Anyway, please review! Reviews always make me feel happy happy happy! Hope you enjoyed this chapter!**_


	5. Anger and Accusations

A/N: So this is the last time I'll have to say that I'm continuing this for a friend. The 4th chapter was her last and now it's my writing!

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><p><strong>Disclaimer: I only own my characters and this plot. I do not own Harry Potter. J.K. Rowling does! :)<strong>

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><p><strong>Chapter 5 - Anger and Accusations<strong>

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><p>"WHAT WAS THAT! ?" Blaine shouted at me.<p>

"What was _what! ?_" I shouted back. We were currently hiding out in the forest with protection spells around us. We could shout all we wanted and no one would hear.

"_That!_" he said, pointing in some random direction. "Back there! With those people! With the _Dark Mark!_ You told me you were looking for Acaris to _recruit _him not _kill_ him!"

"I was _not_ sent to kill anyone!" I defended. "I don't know what that was about! It had to be a mistake! We _are_ trying to recruit him! I don't know why there was a Dark Mark there! Maybe they were after someone else! Maybe you got the code wrong! _Maybe_ he wasn't even there!"

"No! I _know_ I got that code right!" he yelled, whipping out his wand. "You tricked me! You're trying to kill Acaris!"

I didn't even bother shouting back. I pulled my wand out and pointed it at him. If he threatened me, I'd threaten him. "Fine, if you want to think that I'm trying to kill Acaris then go ahead and think that!" I said through gritted teeth. "But don't you _dare_ point your wand at me! Get out of here!"

Blaine's face was twisted with anger as he backed up. "I should kill you right now," he said. "I should do it."

"Go ahead," I said. "But know that if you do you will be hunted _just like Acaris!_"

Blaine shouted something unintelligible and disapparated. I guessed he had called some foul name. I collapsed to the ground, setting my wand aside, and covered my face with my hands. "What just happened?" I asked myself. The world felt like it was spinning around me, making me dizzy. The Dark Mark. That had been a _real_ Dark Mark. So what was going on? Had I been lied to? Was I meant to be under the impression that Acaris was to be recruited but really killed? If he didn't want to be recruited then he probably would have fought me if I'd found him and I would have ended up killing him. So, yes, I was meant to kill him. It hurt to realize that I had been used. But why? My uncle would never lie to me...Would he?

Why send other Death Eaters if I was already tracking him down? Well, I could guess that one. It was taking me too long to find him, thanks to Blaine. _Blaine. _He was an enemy of the Death Eaters now, he was helping his friend. Maybe... he was doing the right thing. After all, aren't people supposed to care deeply for their friends? They're supposed to want to help them when they're in trouble. But I'd never had friends, so I didn't know. No, wait. That wasn't true. I had had friends before, for the shortest time. The twins.

_The twins._ The same twins that I had just seen. The ones Blaine had almost killed. The ones I had fought. It should be wrong to fight your friends like that right? So was I doing something wrong? Was I bad for trying to hurt my friends? _No, they aren't my friends anymore_, I though to myself. _They probably wouldn't even remember me if I saw them again._ It had been years since the time I'd spent with them. They wouldn't remember me. And even if they recognized me they wouldn't know _me_. They wouldn't know who I really was. It was obvious that they were _not_ on Lord Voldemort's side.

I stood up and snatched my wand off the ground. I didn't care if they didn't know. I was determined to find them. I had nowhere else to go anyway. I had no one to recruit, there was no point in going after Acaris, and I didn't want to see Voldemort. Not yet. I was too scared of what he would say. Would he be disappointed in me? I pushed away those thoughts and focused solely on the twins.

Fred and George Weasley. Where could they be? They were too old to still be at Hogwarts, I doubted they were in Hogsmeade, and I had no idea where they might live. So I - wait - I suddenly remembered something from Diagon Alley. When I'd been there with Draco Malfoy. I'd walked through the streets with nothing to do and I'd noticed something. At the time it didn't matter to me. I was too distracted with the fact that I had to get back to Voldemort. I'd seen a store. A store called Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. _Weasley's_. It had to be them. Or someone related to them. Even so, it would be the best bet to find them.

And so I decided. I tucked my wand away and sat back down. I'd rest awhile and find them tomorrow. I _had _to find them.

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><p>There weren't many people in Diagon Alley that day. It was easy to push through the crowds and find my way to my destination. There it was. Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. It was entertaining to say the least. Even just looking at it. I glanced around and noticed at sign hanging outside the store. It read: "WHY ARE YOU WORRYING ABOUT YOU-KNOW-WHO? YOU SHOULD BE WORRYING ABOUT U-NO-POO! THE CONSTIPATION SENSATION THAT'S GRIPPING THE NATION!"<p>

I froze, blinked, and read it again. This was _definitely_ them! They were here! It had to be them. I pushed the door open, not even bothering to figure out if that sign was a slam against Lord Voldemort or not. I didn't care. Hope was bubbling up inside of me. I was shaking by the time I entered the building. I looked around. It reminded me of the time I had been in Zonko's with them. There were little devices all around me, and things for pulling pranks on people. This was a place the Weasley twins would be found. I knew I was in the right place.

People were milling all around me so I didn't notice them at first. But then I saw him. One of the twins was standing at a bit of a distance, his back turned to me, as he talked to a customer about something. He was wearing magenta robes which I couldn't help but notice clashed with his red hair. A smiled spread across my face as I watched him. He still looked the same, just older and...taller.

"Can I help you?" said a voice behind me, making me jump. I turned around and came face to face with the other twin. Of course, I had no idea which one it was. I opened my mouth to speak but he beat me to it. "Blimey, it's you!" he said, a grin appearing on his face. "I never thought I'd see you again!

I couldn't speak. He remembered me? There was no way, just _no way_ he could remember me.

"Mary, right?" he asked and I remembered giving them a false name when we had met. He was right, my name had been Mary that day. I suddenly wished I'd chosen a more unique fake name, like my real name. I was the only Zofia I knew. I nodded to him. "And you still don't speak!" he said, chuckling. "Oi, Georgie, come here! You won't believe this!"

I glanced behind me and saw George hold up his finger, indicating he needed a minute. He handed an item back to the customer, smiling, and turned to us. I turned my face away quickly, hoping he wouldn't recognize me to. I didn't like the attention. At the same time, I hoped against hope that he _would_ remember me. It would make me feel less ridiculous for remembering them so well.

"What do you need, Freddie?" George asked, glancing at me with a puzzled look on his face. Fred pointed at me and opened his mouth to speak but George spoke first, his face brightening. "You! Mary! How- where did you -?" He looked at Fred. "Where did she come from?"

Fred shrugged. "No idea," he said, looking from George to me. "She just showed up. Where did you come from?"

I glanced around me. I was usually good at coming up with lies like this. It was part of my training. I had to learn to hide who I was. For some reason I couldn't lie to these two. I just shook my head. "Nowhere," I said quietly.

They both laughed. "That's pretty amazing to just come from nowhere!" George said. "Is that a new kind of magic? To go in and out of nonexistance?" I looked at him and he winked at me. "I'm just playing with ya!"

"You're still the same, aren't you?" Fred said. "Quiet and serious." He leaned down close to my ear and said, "You should try laughing, I think it'd suit you well." I felt a smile cross over my face as I felt his hot breath on my cheek when he moved away.

"She can smile!" George said and I chuckled.

"And she laughs!" Fred added, clapping his brother on the back. "We are _pretty_ good, aren't we?" He and George were both grinning down at me. "So, what _are _ you doing here?"

I took a deep breath. Time to talk. Don't be nervous now. "I, er, I remembered you two...ya know, from Hogsmeade," I said uncertainly. "And I saw this store one day and decided to stop and see if it was you."

"That's the most I've heard her say at once," George said to Fred, who nodded.

Fred, who I'd seen joking around with George, suddenly seemed serious. "Where did you_ go_ that day at Hogsmeade. I thought you were a first year who'd snuck out of the school," he said. "But I never saw you again. Not even in Hogsmeade."

"Fred," George muttered when he saw my face. I could only imagine what I looked like. Scared, upset, confused, lost, worried. "Maybe you shouldn't -"

"No, George," Fred said, holding his hand out to silence his brother. "I want to know where she went. What happened?"

This time the lie came easily. My instinct had kicked in. "Well, I was still in Hogsmeade. You see, I lived there. I just was never able to see you two again," I said, trying not to speak too quickly. The key to making them believe me was to remain calm. "My father worked at the Wizarding Wireless Network Headquarters. He died couple years back though so I've been on my own. I was born into a magical family but never...had it in me to go to Hogwarts. You know," I pretended to be embarrassed, "a Squib."

Fred and George had a look of understanding on their faces. "I'm sorry," Fred said. "Shouldn't have asked. You probably didn't want to say all that."

"It's fine," I said quickly. "Honestly, don't worry about." _At least you won't suspect anything now. Like the fact that Blaine and I attacked you last night. _I thought._ They don't even look shaken about it. You'd think they'd be freaked out. Blaine almost killed one of them._

"Tell you what," George said softly. "We're going to close up soon -"

"Stick around for a little while -" Fred continued.

"And we can do some catching up," George finished.

I nodded. "Alright," I said with a smile. "Sounds good...Sounds_ great_, actually."

"Enthusiasm," Fred said, grinning and clapping me on the shoulder. "I like it."

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><p><strong>Well, there we go! Chapter 5 =) I absolutely love the twins. I'm glad I get to start writing the story when they come into it! Makes me happy! Hooray! :D<strong>

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I hope you continue to enjoy the story as it unfolds! Please review! It would be much appreciated! =) Hopefully I'll have the next chapter up soon!**

**See you next time!**


	6. Reuniting and Remembering

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling does!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 6 - Reuniting and Remembering<strong>

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><p>The twins' loft above their store was cozy. Not big but not too small. Well, it's not like two bachelors needed a huge place. It was perfect. I walked over to a shelf where they had pictures of their family set up. There was one, I noticed, of Fred and George together. They were in Hogsmeade, both holding bags of Zonko products, and both laughing about something, no doubt a prank they'd just pulled on some unfortunate passerby or classmate. I looked at the picture beside it. They were in scarlet Quidditch robes with their team, holding up their brooms as they cheered. It must have been taken after a game they'd won.<p>

I ran my hand along the frame of a third picture. In this one though, Fred and George were close to the age they were now. I smiled at their identical grins and shook my head. What if I'd gone to Hogwarts with them? What if I'd known them all this time? Maybe I would have been able share some of these memories with them. I dropped my hand back to my side and turned around to come face to face with Fred. I gasped. "You keep doing that," I said, trying to slow my pounding heart.

"Sorry," Fred said with a grin as George came to stand by his side.

Shaking his head, George spoke, "I still can't believe you're here," he said. "Never would have thought we'd see you again."

"I can't believe you remembered us," Fred said, walking over to a chair and plopping down on it. He gestured to the couch. I followed George and sat down beside him on the couch.

"Hard to forget," I said. "Two red-headed twins who love pranks. How could I _not_ remember?"

Fred and George laughed. "Looks like we're famous," George said, looking at Fred.

"Especially with the ladies," said Fred, winking at me. I looked at the ground as I blushed.

Blushed? I blushed? I never blushed. Well, I very _rarely_ blushed. Damn these two. I couldn't help but smile while around them. I suppose that was a good thing though. I'd never really had people to joke and laugh with. People who cared, people who wanted to talk to me. I bit my lip as I thought about it. The twins were my first and only friends. Of course, I could never tell them that. If I did then they'd start asking questions again. It was hard enough lying to them once.

"Mary?" George said, tapping me on the shoulder. I jumped and it took me awhile to figure out that he was addressing me. _Mary._ Right, that's what they knew me as. "You alright?" he asked, watching me worriedly. I realized I must have been distracted by my thoughts for longer than it seemed.

"I'm fine," I said, trying to smile. I was probably freaking them out. Acting like this was only going to make them suspicious. But I couldn't help but feel a mixture of feeling. Happiness, because I was with them. Sadness, because I knew I could never stay with them. Anger, because I could have been with them if I'd gone to Hogwarts. And who had kept me from going to Hogwarts?

Voldemort.

He had always told that Hogwarts was a bad place. A place where our enemies trained to fight against him. The scum gathered there, he'd always said. I had to disagree now. Fred and George weren't scum. They were wonderful to be around. They were good people, I could tell. It didn't matter to me where they'd gone to school or what they were trained to do.

_This was his fault._ This was Voldemort's fault.

I clenched my fist and squeezed my eyes shut. I couldn't start thinking like that! Voldemort had done nothing but take care of me since I was a child. Why was I doubting and blaming him now?

"Hey," said one of the twins. I opened my eyes and saw Fred kneeling in front of me, his hand on my clenched fist. "What's wrong?"

I shook my head frantically. "Nothing. I'm fine. Really," I said, "I'm okay."

"You don't _look_ okay," said George as he stood up. "Do you need anything?"

"Water," I said just so he would leave. George walked away. Now if I could get Fred to leave I would be able to slip out of here and I would never have to see them again. It was the only thing I could do. Get away as fast as I could, before I became too attached. Before it became unbearable to leave. "Fred, could you -" I froze as Fred moved to take George's seat. He gave me a small, comforting smile.

"How can you tell which one is which?" he asked. "How do you know I'm not George?"

I let out a weak laugh. "I can just tell," I said. "You're Fred. Don't try to trick me."

Fred grinned. "Alright, you win," he said, leaning back. His hand was still on mine as I took a deep breath and tried to relax. George walked over to me and handed me a glass of water, smiling at me. They always smiled, didn't they? No matter what, those smiles couldn't be wiped off their faces. I accepted the water but didn't drink it. I could barely make my brain function. I just wanted to go to sleep. I didn't want to think anymore.

"I'm fine, seriously," I said. "You guys don't need to worry about me. I'm just...exhausted."

"Then stay for awhile," George offered. "I'd be fine with it. I'm sure Fred -"

"Yeah, that'd be fine," said Fred, sitting up. "Stay as long as you like. Besides, you said earlier that you were basically on your own anyway. So, it's not like you have a curfew."

I smiled and nodded. "Yeah, that's be great," I said. "Thank you."

And that was it. I'd made my choice. I chose my friends. I chose the twins. I chose to have a double life. I couldn't leave them. It would hurt too much. Now, all I had to do was make sure that Voldemort never found out. I couldn't bear the thought of him hurting Fred or George. I barely knew them, but they were important to me. More important than anything.

* * *

><p><strong>I love Fred and George! =) They're so awesome! My favorite characters.<strong>

**So anyway! Thanks for reading! Sorry about this chapter being so short... I'll try to get the next chapter up soon. Review please! :)**


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